Nicholas Roerich: An extraordinary life

Few people have ever brought Russia and India closer than the painter, writer and philosopher who lived out his final years in the Kullu Valley.

Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) was an
artist, poet, traveller and one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th
century. He was called all sorts of things from a prophet of a new religion, to
a Soviet spy and a leader of Freemasonry. Some even believed that he was a
reincarnation of the Buddha. Few people have ever brought Russia and India
closer than the painter, writer and philosopher who lived out the final years
of his life in the Kullu Valley.

A
long journey

Roerich found fame early on. He
painted, wrote short stories and was fascinated by archaeology. After high
school, he entered the Academy of Arts in the painter Kuindzhi’s workshop.
Roerich revered Kuindzhi, calling him a “guru” and “master.” When he was 30
years old, Roerich became a member of the Imperial Academy, and he happily
signed his name “Roerich the academician.”

Roerich married a woman who was
enthralled by the esoteric—everything supernatural and otherworldly. She had
prophetic dreams. Before Roerich proposed to her, she dreamed that her deceased
father entered her room and said, “Lilya, marry Roerich.” So they married.

Under his wife’s influence, Roerich
too became interested in the occult. The couple hosted spiritual séances. This
was at the turn of the century, a turbulent mystical period, when everyone—even
the members of the Tsar’s family—was infatuated with magic and the Orient.

Helen Roerich then had another
prophetic dream: she saw a man with a glowing face. She interpreted the dream
as a mystical encounter with the Master. Roerich was also interested in the
Orient. He asserted that in past lives, he was Leonardo da Vinci and the Dalai
Lama. He and his wife devoured books about Indian philosophy and dreamt of
travelling to Asia. They believed that the mountains held Shambhala, the place
where the inner and outer worlds converge.

The 1917 Revolution was viewed with horror
by Roerich. He wrote that it was an “uprising against knowledge, an alignment
with squalor.” He was surprised as to why “rational beings can behave like lost
madmen in human form.” The Roerichs fled from this chaos to the Himalayas.
There, in a small temple on the slope of a mountain, they sought the Masters
and Mahatmas, the great teachers. It was a pivotal event in their lives. The Mahatmas
explained to Roerich that the Russian revolution was not only a disaster, but
also a portent. So they sent him to Moscow with a mission. In Moscow he found
Georgy Chicherin, the minister of foreign affairs, and delivered a parcel from
the Tibetan lamas. In addition to a letter, the lamas sent the minister a box
with sacred Buddhist earth. The letter said, “We are sending earth to the grave
of our brother, Mahatma Lenin. Please accept our greetings.” Lenin was already
dead. The lamas not only honoured his memory, but also recognized him as a
Mahatma. It is a remarkable story—but all the stories involving Roerich are
remarkable.

The lamas also wrote to Chicherin
that Communism closely resembled Buddhism, and that this was a step to a higher
consciousness, a higher stage of evolution. In addition, they said they were
ready to engage in talks with the Soviet Union on the liberation of India, which
was ruled by England. This delighted the Bolsheviks, and they promised Roerich
that they would help him. Chicherin called him a “half Communist–half
Buddhist.” There is even a theory that the Cheka recruited Roerich in Moscow.
But why the Cheka for such a man, who was utterly not of this world? Such
people are not suspected of being spies.

From Moscow the Roerichs set out on
an expedition to Tibet. The journey was arduous. The men rode horses; Helen
Roerich was carried on a stretcher. There were swampy flatlands all around.
Below lay deep gorges in which the wind howled. When the travellers reached at
altitude of 4,500 metres, it became hard to breathe. Roerich’s son, Yuri,
nearly died. He fell off his horse and lay on the stones, pale with a weak
pulse. The others brought him back to consciousness with difficulty. The money
and medicine ran out. Some members of the expedition died, but Roerich did not
succumb—he wanted to reach Shambhala.

In Buddhist mythology, Shambhala is
the symbolic centre of the world, surrounded by snowy mountains that resemble a
lotus. According to legend, the “centres of wisdom” open up to those who make
it there. The lamas hinted to Roerich that Shambhala is a spiritual
understanding and is located in the inner world, not the outer one. However, he
did not believe this. He was certain that this place truly existed and that he
got very close to it. The English declared Roerich a Soviet spy and forbade the
expedition to advance. He had to turn back.

Related:

There were a few more attempts to
reach Shambhala; Roerich fought to the end. He secured the support of the Queen
of England, the Pope and U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt. He found money
for the expedition. However, nothing came of this. He lived in India until his
death. At the end of his life he started to look like a Mahatma: he had a
shaved head, gray beard and deep, wise eyes. These eyes spurred legends. One
priest, looking into Roerich’s eyes, said, “What windows to the soul!” It was
said that Roerich’s look made people’s hair turn gray. Many legends about him
circulated. For example, the Tibetans believed that bullets would not hit him.

In his old age, he suddenly decided
to return to Russia. He started packing his paintings, writing letters and
saying goodbye to India. The farewell agitated him so much that before his
departure Roerich lay down and did not get up. In accordance with Indian
tradition, his body was cremated on a funeral pyre in front of his home. Then,
a stone was placed there. The stone bears an inscription: “The body of
Maharishi Nicholas Roerich, great friend of India, was committed to fire on
this spot.”

Roerich belongs to all humanity. He
built Orthodox chapels, received the blessing of the Pope and created Buddhist
paintings. He wanted to create a peaceful religion, a cult of Light and
Knowledge. It was a grand idea. Someday it will be realized.